New GPSr, now what?

[+casey97]

I will be getting a new GPSr for Christmas. Depending on how generous my wife is it will either be a basic Garmin eTrex Yellow or a Venture CX.

 

That being said, I was wondering if there are any things that must be done with a new receiver? An example would be if it needed to receive a signal for a certain amount of time before use, or download new software updates. Any suggestions for a newbie with a new GPSr would be helpful.

[+sbell111]

I will be getting a new GPSr for Christmas. Depending on how generous my wife is it will either be a basic Garmin eTrex Yellow or a Venture CX.

 

That being said, I was wondering if there are any things that must be done with a new receiver? An example would be if it needed to receive a signal for a certain amount of time before use, or download new software updates. Any suggestions for a newbie with a new GPSr would be helpful.

It wouldn't hurt to upgrade the firmware, but it's not absolutely necessary. Before you use it the first time, you'll want to let it sit outside for a while so it can figure out where the heck it is and update the almanac. Basically, after it gets a good lock you'll be good to go, but it may take a little while the first time.

 

One more thing, if the unit has an electronic compass, you'll need to calibrate it. Basically, all you'll do is spin it slowly in one direction. It will take just a minute to do.

[+El Diablo]

Once you receive it go to www.garmin.com and check for any updates that are avaiable. They have a really easy program to use to get updates but you will need a cable to connect to your pc. Also as Sbell pointed out that when you first turn it on it may take 5 to 10 minutes for the unit to get it's position.

 

El Diablo

[+briansnat]

The best way to burn it in is to go to an open field and let it sit for about 10 mins. Just walk out to the local football or soccer field and turn it on and lay it down on the 50 yard line for a while. Oh, and first make sure there isn't a game going on.

[+geognerd]

And if you get the basic Yellow eTrex, you should hope the wife bought a data cable so you can connect it to a PC. That might also be the case if she was extra nice and bought you the Venture Cx. The Venture Cx uses a generic mini USB cable that you may already have lying around the house though. The Yellow eTrex uses a serial cable with a connector specific to the eTrex.

[+sbell111]

And if you get the basic Yellow eTrex, you should hope the wife bought a data cable so you can connect it to a PC. That might also be the case if she was extra nice and bought you the Venture Cx. The Venture Cx uses a generic mini USB cable that you may already have lying around the house though. The Yellow eTrex uses a serial cable with a connector specific to the eTrex.

You can find generic cables for the etrex pretty inexpensively on ebay if your unit doesn't come with one. To broaden your options, the yellow etrex uses the same cable as the geko 201 and 301.

[Dale_Lynn]

Read accompanying manuals, both paper and on CD....

 

Dale

[+ThePropers]

I hate all of those suggestions.

 

Since you haven't found a cache yet, this should be your to-do list:

 

Prior to Christmas

1. Pick out a cache (or several) that sounds interesting and print out the page(s).
   
2. Read the online manuals for the two GPSrs you mention, and print out the section regarding marking a waypoint, editing the coordinates, and navigating to those coords.
   
3. Buy batteries
   

Christmas:

1. Open present, feign surprise
   
2. Put in the batteries.
   
3. Go outside, let it get a signal, put in the coordinates for the cache, hit "go to" jump in car, and go find it.
   
4. Spend the rest of Christmas day caching while thinking up excuses to blow off future work days to cache.
   

Edited December 14, 2006 by ThePropers

[+hukilaulau]

The best way to burn it in is to go to an open field and let it sit for about 10 mins. Just walk out to the local football or soccer field and turn it on and lay it down on the 50 yard line for a while. Oh, and first make sure there isn't a game going on.

Of course, if you get the new eXplorist 900FF you get the repelling force field so you don't need to worry about that. Oh, wait, that won't work til the sats are locked in. Nevermind...

[+michigansnorkelers]

I like ThePropers suggestions.

 

Let me add:

 

Pick up some swag now (exchange items).

 

Print out the pages for a couple of difficulty #1 caches close to home. Avoid Multi's. Avoid micro and small caches. Might as well increase your chances of first timer success. Oh, and make sure they were recently found. The logs should mention "quick easy find" or something similar. Read through those logs.

 

Make sure the hints are deciphered before printing those pages.

 

It wouldn't hurt to print out the map page so you know where you're going.

 

It can really help to review the google satellite views of the area.

 

(Believe it or not, some people find some caches using only the above ... no GPS!)

 

Also search for a couple easy caches within two miles of WORK! Then do these during lunch! Yeah, I'm serious. It's a lot of fun. And returning from lunch late, with muddy pants and shoes while avoiding the boss will add to the excitement.

 

Start searching E-Bay for Palm Pilots. They are great for paperless caching. You can buy one with the money you get from returning all the non-geocaching Christmas Presents you get!

[+Outspoken1]

Pre-Christmas - As previously mentioned, get a cable on ebay if you unit does not have one. It is soooo much easier to have the computer transfer the data to your GPSr than to have to manually enter them. Also, print out some nearby caches (with the hints decoded) to search for. Check the recent logs to see if anyone else has recently found them so you are resonably sure the cache has not been muggled. Visit this link http://www.garmin.com/outdoor/geocaching/manual.html to download a free Geocaching Manual from Garmin. Then go to this link http://www.garmin.com/aboutGPS/manual.html and download the other two free GPS books from Garmin. Go to http://www.gsak.net/ and download Geocaching Swiss Army Knife. When you really get hooked on Geocaching, pay the Geocaching.com Premium Member fee ($3 month or $30 year - a real steal!) because you will be able to automate the transfer of caches into your GPSr and keep track of your Finds and DNF. Finally, visit http://www.geocaching.com/about/glossary.aspx to learn the lesser known but commonly used shorthand when Geocaching.

 

See if your state has a Geocaching group. If so, visit their website and introduce yourself via email or discussion boards. See if someone would take you out before Christmas and help you Geocache. Most of the cachers in my area are very friendly and willing to help.

 

Post-Christmas - Follow the quick start manual for your GPSr and take it outside in the open to allow it to initialize. The first time the GPS receives the satellite signal to get a fix will take about 1-1 1/2 minutes. Take a fanny pack or small backpack and load it with Geocache printouts, Garmin user manual, extra batteries, swag, pencil, digital camera or camera phone (if you have one), plastic bags for trash (CITO), snacks and water. Go hunting for your first cache. Remember that the GPSr will get you within 20' or so... Then it is time to use your gray matter! In my experience, micros are not necessarily harder to find than regular caches nor vice-versa. For me, finding the cache is trying to figure out from clues (i.e., the name of the cache, attributes, hints and previous logs) where are reasonable hiding places. Keep an eye open for muggles and search. When you find your fist cache, take a picture of it-even if it was an easy find. You'll treasure that picture!

 

Now, go back to ebay or Craig's List http://www.craigslist.org and get a used PDA. Nothing fancy is needed; just a working PDA that will hold the .GPX files that a Premium Member can download. I use an old Palm M130 because it has a color screen that is easier for my old eyes to see. A black and white screen one works just as well. Visit http://www.geocacher-u.com/resources/paperless.html to learn about paperless geocaching. Other that the fact that this will reduce printer costs and time, paperless geocaching allows you to geocache at the spur of the moment in other areas that you may unexpectedly end up in.

 

Then go get a nice small backpack or fanny pack or shoulder bag so you can keep your Geocaching stuff with you at most times. It is really nice to be able to grab a few caches during lunch or before/after work! Spend the money to buy GSAK and Cachemate (a little under $40 for both). These two programs have made my Geocaching experience a breeze. There are free alternatives out there such as EasyGPS, etc., but I found the money spent was well worth the time saved.

 

After you have found a bunch of caches (I decided to wait until I had found a 100), maybe hide a few. I found that hiding the caches and receiving the logs via email to be as much fun as finding someone elses cache!

 

Always remember, this is fun! Don't get too wrapped up in geocaching versus Waymarking, micros versus regular caches, lame caches versus ones that are too hard, junky swag, etc. Enjoy the thrill of a find and the challenge of a DNF!

 

Take care,

Outspoken1

[+sTeamTraen]

The first time the GPS receives the satellite signal to get a fix will take about 1-1 1/2 minutes.

 

Depending on the model, I'd give it more like half an hour before I called the help line This only applies the first time (or when you take the unit to the other side of the world), but 60-90 seconds is probably a bit optimistic. Unless the gift giver decided to "make sure it was working" before gift-wrapping it....